Rescue submarine



July 14, 1931. L. Y. SPEA 1,814,642

. RESCUE SUBMARINE' Filed Sept. 1. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ff? V6)? for:

; Jul 14, 1931. L. Y. SPEAR I 1,814,642

RESCUE SUBMARINE Filed Sept. 1. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 4 25 fnzr/emon Lawrerz ce J Spear. By am Mm, WWW

' flfi /s- Patented July 14, 1931 untrue "s r ATE! FFIiCfE COMPANY, OF GRS'EON, CONTETECTIUUT, ACORPORATIGN"O1 NEW 3 Rescue "S'UBMARINE *Apifliation fiiea seprembef 1, 192a. Serial No 302;,513.

This invention:- relates to: submarine boats, and i more particularly to r a submarine boat specially adapted' for'jrescuing men -from a second submarine boat which hasbecome dis- 5: able'ddue to collision or other causes wand? is unable to rise to thesurface.

Most submarine boats are: equipped with escape hatches which allow theouter hatch to be -opene'dvvith the vessel submergedwvith is equal pressure inside and outside of the sub- 2?.) not drowned by the time he reaches the surface, will be affected by the sudden reduction in pressure. ca-i-ising'scaisson disease otherwise known as the bends. It is} therefore; not practicable'for the mento 'escapefrom t-he submarine by means of 'the access hatch when the submarine is submerged at an ap-.

prcciable depth such-that relativelyehi'gh pressure obtains. To render itjposs'ihle -for the men to safely escape fronr a submarine 1130 boat at can appreciabledepth, :I provide means wherebyathe nen in effecting their escape,-: aresubjected to the 1 relatively high P essure of the water for but a short leniij h ottime and enter into an air pocket under approximately the'same pressure at which they left the disabled submarine, the 7 men passing from this air pocket into decompression tanks" in which the pressure is gradually 4 reduced to approximately" atmosphericprey sure, that is, to the pressure in the living compartment of the submarine. Thisrpr-o v-ides means whereby the men are totally submerged in the Water for but a short; period'ot time thus avoidingany dangerofdrovvning,

andalso provides means whereby the pressure to which the men are subjected'can be gradually reduced thus avoiding the injurious efi'ect resulting from asud'den-lower- 1 50 ingot the; pressure which causes-the bends or caisson disease; previously referred to' -and sometimes has fatal results.

For rescuing men from disabled submarine boat at depths at which it would be dangerous to subject 1 the men to the Water pressure, I employ rescue cars or tanks by means of which the menar'e transferred from the disabled I boat to :the rescue submarine. The rescue submarine is provided with asuitable chamber for reception kit the rescue tanks.

In accordance :with my invention, 1 provide a rescue submarine boat WhiCh lS PI'O; vided with a rescue-chamberand a taink chamber adjacentthereto; each chamberbeingopen' at itsbottom and communicating with an upper compartment through ahatch opening,- this upper compartmenthaving-a0 cess to decompression chambersand mea'ns beingprovided foreffecting a fiuidati-ght closure of the hatch opening and betweenthe upper compartment and the decompression chambers. This rescue submarine boat is anchored or moored directly overthe disabled submarine-boat with one ofthe lower c0m partments l referred to in alignment with the access hatch thereof.

Inrescuing men at depths-at which it is safe to subject: the men to the Water pressure, the rescue boat is moored in position adjacent and-above the disabled boat. The hatch'cover of the latter b'oatis then-openedpermitting Water-to flow into the compartment theme-f. until it seals the inner end of'the hatchtrunk. this water compressing vthe air in the upper portion of the com lartment I until the i air pressure countcrbalances the Water pressure.

The men then escape through the hatch and pass upwardly through the; relatively narrow or thin layerofwater between-thetwo boats into the rescue chamber, 'fromwhich they enter into} the upper compartment and pass from there into the decompression chambers. This providesa very simple and'highlv efficient 1r ethod' for rescuing Jmen'. entrapped in adisabled suhmar-ine boat atdepths at which the men can safely be su-hj ectedto the aterpressnre. 7

'At greater dept-hs,--at Whiclrit would be nnsafeto expose the men to the-watenpiessure, rescue tanks or cars are used. The rescue boat is moved in position with the tank chamber aligned with the escape hatch of the disabled boat. A tank is then lowered from this chamber and seated upon the escape hatch trunk of the disabled boat. The men then enter this car which is then raised into the tank chamber of the rescue boat and the men pass from the tank into the rescue compartment from which they pass through the decompression tanks into the living quarters of the rescue submarine. Further objects and advantages of my invention will appear from the detailed description. 7

In the drawings: Figs. 1 and 1A are a longitudinal sectional view of a rescue submarine boat constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side 'view of a rescue submarine boat constructed in accordance with my invention in position to effect rescue of men from a disabled submarine boat by means of a rescue tank, the two boats being partly broken away;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional View of my rescue submarine and a disabled service submarine boat, showing the use of the rescue chamber;

Fig. at is a fragmentary plan view of a service submarine having attachments for mooring my rescue submarine and guide lines thereto.

In accordance with my invention, I pro vide a submarine boat 1 which is generally of known construction. This boat is provided with a rescue chamber 2 which opens through the bottom of the hull of the boat, this chamber being of substantially cylindrical shape. The chamber 2 is provided through its top wall with a hatch opening 3 giving access to an upper rescue compartment 4. A hatch cover or door 5 is provided for effecting a fluid tight closure of the hatch opening 8. The upper compartment is provided with suitable port lights 6 and with an opening closed by a door 7 of suitable type, this opening giving access to a diving compartment 8 which may also be provided with one or more port lights. Diving chamber 8 communicates, by means of doors 9, with decompression chambers 10 which communicate with the living quarters of the boat, in a known manner. 2

Air may be supplied to the chambers 10 from suitable air compressors within the hull of the boat, and air may also be supplied to the compartment 4 from the air compressors or from an air tank 11, or in any other suitable manner.

A tank chamber 12 opens through the bottom of the hull, adjacent rescue chamber 2. Chamber 12 communicates with compartment 4 through a hatch trunk 13 provided with a suitabie cover 14. The tank chamber is intended for use with a rescue tank a provided with upper and lower trunks b and 0 having removable closures or covers. The trunk 12 is adapted to fit into trunk 13 of chamber 12, as illustrated, to permit the men to escape from the tank into compartment 4;. Trunk 0 of the tank is adapted to fit into the escape hatch trunk of a disabled submarine boat, with the tank seating upon the outer end of the trunk, to permit the men in such boat to enter the tank. The tank a is also provided with guide eyes for reception of guide lines attached to the rescue submarine and the disabled submarine, in a suitable manner. This tank is capable of accommodating twenty or more men. A tank of this type is disclosed in the copending application of Hugo E. Grieshaber for rescue buoy, filed April 2, 1928, Serial Number 266,541, and it is not thought necessary to illustrate or describe this tank in detail herein. Hatch trunk 18 is also intended for use with a suitable rescue car of a diameter to fit into such trunk and having a flange and associated. gasket adapted to seat against the lower end of the trunk and form a tight closure therewith. Such a rescue car is disclosed in my copending application for rescue submarine, filed February 20, 1928, Serial Number 255,684.

This car is preferably provided with two guide eyes disposed for reception of guide lines, as disclosed in my copending application for rescue car, filed February 20, 1928, Serial No. 255,682.

The boat 1 is provided, adjacent the bow and the stern thereof, with anchor compartments 15 through which pass chains or cables 16 windable upon suitable drums 17 above the hull of the boat, such drums having means associated therewith for winding the cables onto and oif of the drums. The cables 16 are secured to anchors 18 of suitable type.

Boat 1 is further provided with hawse pipes 19 spaced from the anchor compartments forward and aft thereof. The forward hawse pipe is adjacent and forward of rescue chamber 2. Mooring lines 20 pass through the hawse pipes and over guide pulleys 21 onto winding drums (not shown) disposed alongside the drums 17 for winding the anchor chains or cables. These drums are rotated in desired direction, through suitable gearing, by electric motors 22 disposed within the main engine compartment and the living quarters of the boat. In my copending application for rescue submarine, above identified, I have disclosed a similar arrangement of two windingdrums side by side for winding and unwinding two lines, independently, and it is not thought necessary to illustrate or describe such an arrangement in detail herein, it being sufficient to note that the mooring lines are wound onto and off of their drums independently of each other and of the anchor cables or chains.

My rescue submarine boat is intended to be used I with" a service --'s ubma'rine boat" S of known type provided with one or more'escape hatchtrunks 23. Boat-S ispreferably providedvvith two eyes 24 secured to the superstructure beyond trunk 23 and at diametrically opposite points thereof. These eyes are adapted for securement'thereto of the lower endsof'a pair of guide lines fora one man rescue car, the upper ends of' these lines being secured to eyes 25 at the top of tank chamber 12.

Four eyes '26 are secured to the superstrucs ture of boat S equidistant from the hatch trunk thereotand are disposedto have the lower ends of guide lines for'theftank a secured theret-o,'the upper ends of these lines being secured to eyes 27 at the top of the tankcompartment. A series of-mooring attachments 28-are secured tothe boat S concentric With hatch 23, the distance between each'of these-attachments and the axis-oi trunk 23 corresponding to the distance between-the -forward haWse pipe 20 and the axis of rescue chamber 2. Boat S is further provided'with a-n'after mooring attachment '29 and a forward mooring attachment-30.

VVhen-usin-gthe'tank system for rescuing the menfrom the disabled boat S, the rescue ship isbrought into position as nearly parallel to the boat S as is practicable, and both of the anchors 18 are then dropped. The res cue-ship is thentrimmed and haule'd down to the anchors. The divers first make tele phone connection to the disabled boat'and attend to the immediatep'hysical needs of the survivors. The divers then secure both of the mooring lines 20 to the fittings 29 and 30," and also secure the guide lines to the fittings 26 or 24:, as the case may be, these guide lines being previously passed through the eyes on the car and secured to the corresponding fittings in the tank chamber. The anch'ors 18 are then housed and positive buoyancy is imparted to the rescue shipwhich is then maneuvered by means of the mooring lines and regulation ofbuoyancy so as to bring the tank chamber into substantial align ment' with the hatch trunk 23;.

Hatch trunk 23 is flooded either bya diver, orfroinwithin the disabled boat, suitably arranged valves being provided for this purpose andthe trunkha-ving both-inner and outer covers, and the outer cover is then opened-or removed, in a suitable'manner. The car is then lowered into position to seat upon the outer end of the hatch trunk and the trunk is drained, the car being held tightly seated by the water pressure. The men in the disabled boat then open the door at the lower end of the tank and pass into the same, closing and securing the door. Before lowering the tank it is ballasted, byv suitable weights, the total weight of which is greater than theweight of the men the tank can contain. This imparts negative buoyancy to 'the tank which sinks and is directed to the hatch trunk of the disabled boat as previously described. WVhen'themen open the lower door ofthe tank theweights are removed and, the tan-k thus has-positive buoyancy imparted to it. 'After'the-men have entered-the tank and closed the lower do'orjthereof, if any men remain in the compartment oi the disabled boat, they close the lower hatch trunk door and flood the hatch trunk. This equalizes the pressure on thetank and, due to its positive buoyancy,the tankrises and is directedby the guide lines into the tank c'hambe1,"-l2, the men entering compartment 4 from the tank as previously described. VVhenall of the men remaining'in-the compartment of the dis abled boat enter the tank, the compartment is flooded, to equalize'the pressure on the tank, by meansof a valve operated'either by the diver or by the'last man leaving the compartment.

If desired a line can be secured, in any suitable manner, to the tank for raising it into the chamber of the rescue ship, in the event that the tank should have negative buoyancy. After all of the survivorsonthe disabled boat have been rescued, the diver releases the guide lines and returns to the'rescue ship; Salvage operations may then be started, the

rescue ship being preferably providedwith suitable apparatus and'exterior connections for salvage purposes.

I prefer to rescue the men from the disabled boat without the use of tanks, by What Iterm my pressure system, when this can be done. By using the rescue chamber 2 and disposing the rescue ship a short distance above be-at- S,'the men are subjected to the pressure of the water for but a short period of time. This system can, therefore,be employed at relatively great depths.

' lVhen usingthe pressure system the bow anchor of the rescue ship is dropped onthe downstream side of the hatch, ofthe-disabled boat, hich' is to be used. The ship is then trimmed-and ha uled down to the anchor. After the immediate physical'needs of the menof boat Syhavebeen attended'tm-the diver secures the bow mooring line 20 to' that fitting 28, on the upstream side of the boat S, which is most nearly in line-withth-e center ofhatch trunk 23 and the center of rescue chamber 2; Positive buoyancy in excess of the weight ofthe men to be'rescued'is then imparted to the rescue ship causing-it to rise and head into the tide. By means of the mooringline 2-0 and a special ballast tank 31, the rescue ship is brought into-position above and adjacent the boat' S With'rescue chamber 2 in substantial r alignment with hatch trunk 23. v

When the rescue submarine 1 is moored in proper positionja diver descends therefrom to the submarine S and notifies'the'occupants of thecompartment with which-the trunk hatch 23 communicates of this fact. An extension 23a is preferably secured on the inner end of hatch trunk 23, in a suitable manner, after opening of the inner hatch cover 32. An extensible hatch trunk of this char acter is disclosed in the copending application of Hugo E. Grieshaber for escape hatch for submarines, filed May 7, 1928, Serial Number 75,730, and need not be described herein in detail. The compartment is then flooded permitting the water to fill the space within the compartment of the disabled submarine to the lower end of trunk extension 23a, it being understood that the air entrapped in the compartment is compressed by the water as it rises and air under pressure may be admitted into the compartment above the water from the air compressor, if still in operation, or from flasks or tanks provided for this purpose. The outer hatch door or cover 33 is then opened, the men in the compartment being but partially submerged in the water. After the door 33 has been opened a cable 34 is lowered through the hatch trunk 23, this cable being held taut by suitable weights 35 and 36 secured to the lower end thereof. The cable also carries a suitable signal lamp 37 to which electric current may be supplied by wires within the cable 34, or in any other suitable manner. The cable passes through.

a suitable support, such as a pulley or eye member 38 and then passes through a suit able stufiing box 39 through the wall of chamber 4. This cable may be raised and towered in any suitable manner, as by being wound on to and off of a drum (not shown) within the ship 1, suitable mechanism being provided for rotating this drum in desired direction.

After the rescue ship 1 has been properly moored in the manner described and before hatch 33 has been opened, air under pressure is forced into chamber 4 and flows through the hatch opening 3 into chamber 2 forcing the water out of this chamber so as to provide an air pocket 40 in the chamber above the water. The cable 34 is then lowered and the light 37 passes through the hatch trunk 23 23a, the illumination of the water within the submarine S serving as a signal to indicate to the men in the compartment of this submarine that all is in readiness for their rescue. The men then leave the compartment one at a time by means of the accesshatch trunk 23-23a and either swim or climb up wardly along the cable 34 into the compartment 2. As the pressure within the compartment 2 and the compartment 4 is substantially equal to the water pressure at the depth of the submarine S, no injurious effects are suffered by the men due to a sudden lowering in the pressure to which they have been subjected. By having the boat 1 closely adjacent the boat S, the men are subjected to high pressure in the Water for but a short period oftime and all danger ofdrowning is eliminated. From the chamber 2 the men pass through the hatch opening 3 into the upper compartment 4 from which they pass through the diving compartment 8, having the same pressure as compartment 4 and into the decompression tanks 10, the pressure in these decompression tanks being, at this time, equal to the pressure in the compartments 2 and 8. 'After the men have all been rescued from the disabled submarine, they remain in the decompression tanks 10, the pressure of which is gradually diminished. Y

By gradually diminishing the pressure in the decompression tanks 10 to approximately atmospheric pressure, the rescued men suffer no injurious effects and may then pass from the tanks 10 directly into the living compartment of the rescue submarine. The cable 34 is effective not only as a signalling device but also serves as a guide to direct the men into the chamber 2, and is particularly valuable in the case of men who, for any reason, are unable to swim.

Under ordinary conditions, when the submarine 1 is not being used for rescue purposes, the scuttle covers or doors 4 and 15, as well as cover 41 of hatch trunk 42 of the diving compartment 8, are secured closed.

The diving compartment includes a platform 43 for convenience of the divers operating from such compartment. It will be noted that the diving compartment and the tank chamber and rescue chamber are all positioned closely adjacent each other forming a group or unit. This is advantageous, as the divers can quickly descend from and return to such compartment during the rescue operations, avoiding loss of time, which is frequently a vital consideration. Also, if the rescue work is started with the tank, and it is found that the pressure system can be employed, or vice versa, the rescue chamber or the tank chamber, as the case may be, can be quickly brought into alignment with the hatch of the disabled boat without extended maneuverin of the rescue ship.

The rescue ship is, generally, of known construction and is provided with the usual living compartments, main engine compartment, battery compartment, storage and fuel compartments, etc. This ship also is provided with ballast tanks 43, trim tanks 44, and the special ballast tank 31 previously referred to.

hat I claim is:

1. In a submarine boat, two juxtaposed chambers opening through the bottom of the hull, a rescue compartment above the chambers and communicating therewith, removable closures between said compartment and the chambers, a diving compartment com municating with said rescue compartment and having a hatch opening throughthe bottom of the hull, a removable closure for said opening, said diving compartment being disposed closely adjacent one of said chambers, a decompression tank communicating with the diving compartment and with the interior of the ship, and removable closures for said tank.

2. In a submarine boat, a chamber opening through the bottom of the hull, a rescue compartment above the chamber and communicating therewith, a removable closure between the compartment and the chamber, a diving compartment communicating with the rescue compartment and opening through the bottom of the hull adjacent said chamber, a decompression tank communicating with the diving compartment and with the interior of the boat, and removable closures for said tank.

3. In a submarine boat, a chamber opening through the bottom of the hull, a rescue compartment above the chamber and communicating therewith, a removable closure between the chamber and the compartment, a decompression tank communicating with the interior of the boat, a diving compartment between and communicating with the tank and the rescue compartment and opening through the bottom of the hull, and removable closures for said tank. so 4. In a submarine boat, a chamber opening through the bottom of the hull, a rescue compartment above the chamber and communicating therewith, a removable closure between the chamber and the compartment, a decompression tank communicating with the interior of the boat, a diving compartment between and communicating with the tank and the rescue compartment and opening through the bottom of the hull, said compartments and the tank being disposed in juxtaposed relation and aligned lengthwise of the hull, and removable closures for said tank.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 8th day of August, 1928.

LAWRENCE Y. SPEAK. 

